Low Calorie Chronicles: Moroccan Bulgar & Shrimp Casserole

This was like a cheap return visit to north Africa, where I went the summer of 2014. All of my friends that went to Tunisia with me should check this one out.

I oddly had even the more obscure ingredients because I had a Spiced Pantry box from Lebanon.

Definitely use the mint. Sometimes I skip the garnish, but it was wonderful. It reminded me of the delicious mint tea there.

The recipe originally calls for pork, but it says you can substitute shrimp, Pacific cod fillets or chunks of skinless chicken thighs. I went for the shrimp.

It serves four and is only 403 calories per serving. It also has all of the other nutritional information (fat, cholesterol, vitamins) in the cookbook for if you actually use the pork.

This comes from the Eating Well One-Pot Meals cookbook.

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1 pound boneless pork loin chops or pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup water
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup bulgar (Look for it in the natural foods section of large supermarkets, near other grains.)
1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers, rinsed
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat a 9 by 13 inch (or similar 3 quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine salt, cumin, coriander, ginger, chili powder, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon and cloves in a medium bowl. Transfer 1 teaspoon of the mixture to another medium bowl, add pork and toss. Set aside.
3. Add water, lemon zest and juice to the remaining spice mixture; whisk to combine. Stir in bulgar, chickpeas, onion, raisins and red peppers. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with foil.
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully uncover and nestle the spiced pork into the bulgar mixture. Cover with foil again and continue to bake until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pork is just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving. Serve sprinkled with mint, if desired.